![]() ![]() Video game music is my preferred choice for long drives, gym workouts, and JRPG grinding sessions, and my playlists always include a large selection of remixes and original tracks from the Mega Man series. It’s a small issue but one that kept me from using that Gear ability more often. Since I’m often holding down the charge button, I would regularly turn on the Power Gear and fire my Mega Buster only to realize I needed to charge it again. An odd and somewhat frustrating choice with the Power Gear is that when you activate it, any charge of the Mega Buster resets. I found myself regularly using the Speed Gear to slow down impending dangers like the walls of flame in Torch Man’s stage or give me more time to avoid Fuse Man dashing across the screen. Every stage in the game features areas that lightly or strongly encourage you to use one of the Gear abilities. With it, Mega Man can either slow down time with the Speed Gear or power up his Mega Buster with the Power Gear. The Double Gear system is another major departure from previous games in the classic Mega Man series. That said, the fights themselves are challenging and engaging as each boss either transforms into a different form or uses the Speed Gear or Power Gear to strengthen his attacks. As I noted in my preview of the PAX West demo, the damage impact on the Robot Masters is still a little too subdued and it can be difficult to see when their invincibility has worn off after taking a hit. Shooting and charging up the Mega Buster feels great and the Switch controls (whether on Joy-Con or Pro Controller) are really responsive. Figuring out the timing of precise jumps took more practice, and even after multiple playthroughs I still haven’t quite mastered it. The jumping and movement remind me of Mega Man 7 in that there is a little more weight to Mega Man, but in this latest game he falls more slowly. ![]() The physics and gameplay feel both familiar and different at the same time. That said, I really appreciate how there is a difficulty settings for all levels of players, and the variety also adds replay value. Perhaps most punishing of all, enemies do not drop health or weapon tank items to replenish your gauges. Superhero is truly a test of skill and patience as you take triple damage and deal half as much damage to enemies compared to the other three difficulty modes. ![]() You also take double damage here, and I had to rely more on the in-game shop to purchase E-tanks to refill my health during sub-boss and Robot Master battles. Normal Mode gives you two lives and significantly claws back the number of checkpoints in each stage. I started with this difficulty on my first playthrough and still found it plenty challenging due to the length of the stages. Casual Mode starts you off with five lives and similarly frequent checkpoints, but no avian assistance or toothless spikes. Spikes hurt but don’t kill you in this mode, too. The easiest by far is Newcomer, where you have unlimited lives, frequent checkpoints, and your bird buddy Beat who retrieves you when you fall into a pit. Players can choose from four difficulty modes: Newcomer, Casual, Normal, and Superhero. Torch Man’s stage, for example, really evokes the feeling of a campsite with mountains, city lights, and trees that appear in the background while enemies like mechanical bunnies hide under destructible tents. I didn’t find it as frustrating to have to replay a stage after losing all my lives or when playing on a different difficulty because the art style grew on me. If you hate the 2.5D look, this game won’t change your mind, but really neat details can be found in the background, enemies, and stages that make each level fun to go through multiple times. Rough edges have been smoothed over and the overall appearance is clean and crisp. The game looks much better since we first saw it last year. Mega Man 11 sees the greatest departure from its predecessors in its visuals. I don’t think it’s the best game in the series, but it manages to hold its own, so let’s rock and roll. 9, but I am happy to report that Mega Man 11 is far better. Reactions to the initial reveal of Mega Man 11 were mixed: you could hear “What happened to the classic 8-bit aesthetic?” or “The 2.5D hand-drawn style looks cool!” Comparisons were drawn to the ill-fated Mighty No. Its predecessor, Mega Man 10, came out in 2010, so it’s been quite some time since a new game tried to carry on the jump-and-shoot tradition. ![]() First announced in December of 2017 and long hoped for, Mega Man 11 has finally arrived. ![]()
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